ALSACAT:

As its name suggests, ALSACAT is my comprehensive catalog of UFO sighting reports in Alsace, the region is the North-East of France, whether they are "explained" or "unexplained".

The ALSACAT catalog is made of case files with a case number, summary, quantitative information (date, location, number of witnesses...), classifications, all sources mentioning the case with their references, a discussion of the case in order to evaluate its causes, and a history of the changes made to the file. A general index and thematic sub-catalogs give access to these Alsatian case files.

Case of Rountzenheim, on April 10, 1977:

Case number:

ALSACAT-1977-04-10-ROUNTZENHEIM-1

Summary:

In the archives of the Centre Franšais de Recherches Ufologiques (French UFO Research Center - CFRU), there is a summary by M. and R. Lienhardt, members of the Bas-Rhin section, local investigators, on observations of one or more UFOs in the Bas-Rhin. on the night from Easter Sunday to Monday, 1977, thus on April 10 or 11, 1977.

First, a lady resident of Rountzenheim had observed a "craft", that is, a "yellow-colored ball", moving in a straight line.

The Lienhardts say that several witnesses having confirmed this observation, the CFRU investigators went on the spot and thus found that the UFO, "like all those observed in recent years in Alsace", had moved following the Rhine, without changing color at the different points of observation.

A Mrs. A. G., who had asked for anonymity, told them that she is used to see planes flying over the area, saying that the color emitted by the latter was mostly red-white, even green, but never yellow.

The observation took place in a clear sky. No electromagnetic phenomenon was found, no sound source was heard, the observation lasted three minutes and was reported to the gendarmerie.

Animals, apparently dogs, would have perceived the phenomenon because they had shown an unusual fear, moaning.

After hearing several witnesses, the CFRU investigators were particularly impressed by the concordance of observations, color, time, size and shape of the object.

At least two of the witnesses were particularly "touched" by the sighting, deeply impressed by the incident. They reportedly felt a form of anxiety during the observation. According to them, they had been "prevented" from filming the phenomenon in the sense that they had felt no desire to look for their camera yet at hand in two specific cases.

Data:

Temporal data:

Date:

April 10, 1977

Time:

Night.

Duration:

3 minutes.

First known report date:

1977

Reporting delay:

Day, weeks?

Geographical data:

Department:

Bas-Rhin

City:

Rountzenheim

Place:

?

Latitude:

48.814

Longitude:

8.011

Uncertainty ratio:

2 km

Witnesses data:

Number of alleged witnesses:

3 or more.

Number of known witnesses:

3 or more.

Number of named witnesses:

0

Witness(es) ages:

?

Witness(es) types:

?

Ufology data:

Reporting channel:

Reported to the Gendarmerie?

Type of location:

?

Visibility conditions:

Night

UFO observed:

Yes

UFO arrival observed:

?

UFO departure observed:

?

Entities:

No

Photographs:

No.

Sketch(s) by witness(es):

No.

Sketch(es) approved by witness(es):

No.

Witness(es) feelings:

Puzzled, impressed.

Witnesses interpretation:

Not a plane.

Classifications:

Hynek:

NL

ALSACAT:

Unidentified.

Sources:

On the night of Easter Sunday to Monday, a resident of ROUNTZENHEIM, the Bas-Rhin, observed an unidentified flying object. The craft moved in a straight line and had the appearance of a yellowish-colored ball. The case is interesting, several witnesses having confirmed this observation; our investigators, who went there, found out that the UFO, like all those observed in recent years in Alsace, moved along the Rhine. The color of the machine did not vary at the different observation points. Mrs A.G. (anonymity requested) told us that she was used to see planes flying over the area, stating that the color emitted by the latter was mostly red-white or green, but never yellow. No electromagnetic phenomenon was found, no sound source was captured. The observation lasted three minutes and the case was reported to the gendarmerie. The observation took place in a clear sky. It turns out, moreover, that the animals (the case of dogs is reported) had "detected" the phenomenon by showing an unusual fear and moaning. After hearing several witnesses, our investigators left, particularly impressed by the concordance of observations, color, time, size and shape of the object. In addition, at least two of the witnesses were particularly "touched" by the sighting, having been deeply impressed by the incident. They felt a form of anxiety during the observation. According to them, the witnesses were "prevented" from filming the phenomenon in the sense that they felt no desire to look for their device yet at hand in two specific cases.

M. & R. LIENHARDT CFRU/BAS-RHIN

Discussion:

The Easter Sunday in 1977 was on April 10. Rountzenheim, in its closest spot to the closest spot on the Rhin, is 2 kilometers away from the Rhine. To note, that we are only told one of the witness was a women from Rountzenheim, but nothing is specified about the observations locations, except that the UFO flew in straight line on the Rhine.

I regret that I could not find any more detailed source than the synthesis of the CFRU; which seem to deal with "rich" events with concordant witnesses, but gives little detail, since the UFO is only documented as a yellowish ball seen by night following the Rhine in a straight line. There are no hours, no sizes, no indication of angular velocity, etc. The exact locations are not given, the sequence of observations by apparently multiple and independent witnesses is not specified.

It is said that the sighting was reported to the Gendarmerie. This is possible, but the possible documentation is not, or not yet, on the website of the GEIPAN, the official French study group for these matters.

Evaluation:

Unidentified.

Sources references:

* = Source is available to me.
? = Source I am told about but could not get so far. Help needed.